Easy Chicken Parmesan
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Making traditional chicken parmesan can be quite time-consuming, but this weeknight-friendly version incorporates a few smart shortcuts, so you can have a delicious meal on the table in just 45 minutes!
Chicken parmesan is a major family pleaser, but the traditional recipe can be time-consuming to make. Between the homemade tomato sauce and pounding, breading, and pan-frying the chicken — not to mention melting the cheese over the chicken in the oven — the classic preparation takes well over an hour and leaves you with a sinkful of dishes. This easy recipe incorporates a few smart shortcuts, like using good-quality jarred sauce and chicken tenderloins, making it totally doable on a weeknight. You’ll notice that I don’t smother the chicken with sauce and cheese; this keeps the crust crispy (and you can always serve more sauce on the side).
Chicken parm is a great dish to serve when you have people over since much of the prep can be done ahead of time. It pairs well with pasta, polenta, spaghetti squash (see how to cook spaghetti squash), an arugula salad, or roasted broccoli.
Table of Contents
“Huge hit with the family! Seasoning, moisture, crispness all on point…This is some really great chicken.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken tenderloins: While most recipes call for boneless skinless chicken breasts, which need to be sliced in half horizontally and pounded thin, I use chicken tenderloins, which can be quickly flattened with the palm of your hand to ensure even, quick cooking. Unlike the ready-to-cook thinly sliced chicken cutlets you find at the store, they are guaranteed to be tender and juicy.
- Marinara Sauce: Since the recipe only calls for 1-1/2 cups of sauce, I recommend using a good-quality jarred marinara sauce, such as Rao’s or Victoria).
- Panko: Japanese-style panko creates a feathery, crisp crust, and it also stays crispy long after it is cooked, so you don’t have to pan-fry the chicken at the very last minute.
- Fontina Cheese: While mozzarella cheese is usually called for in chicken parmesan recipes, I prefer fontina, a semisoft cheese with a buttery, nutty flavor. Fontina stays gooey after it’s melted, while mozzarella tends to turn rubbery as soon as it comes out of the oven. Most large supermarkets carry Swedish or Danish fontina (with a red wax rind), which is ideal for cooking. If you can’t find it, shredded whole milk mozzarella is fine.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep and Bread the Chicken
Begin by prepping the tenderloins. You may notice a white tendon at the end of the tenderloin. Go ahead and trim it off with a knife or kitchen shears. Using the palm of your hand, gently flatten the tenderloins so that they are an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Season the flattened chicken all over with 1-1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
In a large shallow bowl (I use a pie plate), combine the panko, 3/4 cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano, the oregano, the thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well, making sure there are no clumps of cheese.
Place the flour in another shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in a third bowl. Set up a breading station in this order: flour, eggs, panko. Dredge the chicken in the flour; dip in the eggs, letting any excess drip off; then dredge in the panko mixture.
Place the breaded chicken on a lined baking sheet. (The recipe can be prepared up to this point, covered, and refrigerated up to 8 hours ahead of time. The breaded tenders can also be frozen for up to 3 months.)
Step 2: Pan-Fry the Chicken
In a large nonstick skillet, heat about 1/8 inch of oil over medium heat until shimmering. Place 5 or 6 tenders in the pan in a single layer.
Cook until the first side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Cook the remaining chicken in the same manner, adding additional oil only if necessary.
Step 3: Top the Chicken with Cheese and Broil
Place the cooked chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the fontina and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano over the center of the chicken tenderloins, leaving the sides bare so that they remain crispy.
Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 4: Serve
Warm the marinara sauce, then taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. With store-bought sauce, I find a generous pinch of sugar and some fresh basil go a long way.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or individual plates. Spoon the marinara sauce over the cheese, again leaving the sides bare so that they stay crispy. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.
You May Also Like
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Chicken Marsala
- Chicken Piccata
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Marry Me Chicken
Chicken Parmesan
Making traditional chicken parmesan can be quite time-consuming, but this weeknight-friendly version incorporates a few smart shortcuts, so you can have a delicious meal on the table in just 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- ¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1½ cups panko
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup flour
- 3 large eggs
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 1½ cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce, best quality such as Rao's or Victoria
- 6 oz fontina, shredded (about 1½ cups)
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- Using kitchen shears, trim off any white tendons at the ends of the tenderloins. Using the palm of your hand, gently flatten the tenderloins so that they are an even ¼-inch thickness. Season the chicken all over with 1¼ teaspoons of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper.
- In a large shallow bowl, combine the panko, ¾ cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano, the oregano, the thyme, the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix well, making sure there are no clumps of cheese.
- Place the flour in another shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in a third bowl. Set up a breading station in this order: flour, eggs, panko. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean up. Dredge the chicken in the flour, coating evenly; dip in the eggs, letting any excess drip off; then dredge in the panko mixture, turning and patting to adhere. Place the breaded chicken on the prepared baking sheet. (The recipe can be prepared up to this point, covered, and refrigerated up to 8 hours ahead of time.)
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack about 4 inches from the heating element. Bring the marinara sauce to a simmer over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking (with store-bought sauce, I find a generous pinch of sugar and fresh basil go a long way). Cover and keep warm.
- Line another baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment for easy clean up; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, heat about ⅛ inch of oil over medium heat until shimmering. Place 5 or 6 tenders in the pan in a single layer and cook until the first side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Place the cooked chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Cook the remaining chicken in the same manner, adding additional oil only if necessary. You may need to lower the the heat as you go, so that the chicken doesn't brown before it is cooked through.
- Sprinkle the fontina and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano over the center of the chicken tenderloins, leaving the sides bare so that they remain crispy. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or individual plates. Spoon the marinara sauce over the cheese, again leaving the sides bare so that they stay crispy. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The chicken tenders can be breaded and refrigerated up to 8 hours before pan-frying. The chicken is best and crispiest when fried right before baking, but it can also be fried up to 4 hours in advance and refrigerated. Reheat the chicken in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes, before adding the cheese and proceeding with the recipe.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The breaded cooked chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze the chicken on the baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour, then transfer to a resealable freezer bag or layer in an airtight container with sheets of parchment between the tenders. Defrost in the refrigerator before cooking.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (About 12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 piece
- Calories: 410
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Sodium: 751 mg
- Cholesterol: 101 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’ve commented on this before, but this is the best chicken parmesan! It’s so good my husband requested it for his birthday dinner. 🙂
Very good! I used regular chicken breasts that I brined first. I also used homemade mozzarella instead of fontina as that tends to stay nice and creamy.
Wow, this was crispy and really delicious! I’m always a little scared to use more than a tablespoon or two of oil on the stove top, but I followed Jenn’s directions, and this was easy and delicious. And way crunchier than I’ve ever been able to make them in the oven! Thanks for another great recipe!
This was a huge hit! Made as written. Kid friendly. Everyone loved it. The flavor in the crust did it for me. I thought I made enough to have sandwiches the next day but no such luck!
I’ve been making Chicken Parmesan for years. I HATE pounding out chicken breasts, eliminating that step by using chicken tenders is brilliant! This version is the easiest and the tastiest. This is now my standard Chicken Parm recipe!
Made this tonight as written and it was excellent! Only thing I didn’t have on hand was the fresh basil and I’m sure it would just enhance the dish further. The breading on the chicken was perfect and I loved that the fontina didn’t look like a rubbery mess like the mozzarella does. Definitely my new go to chicken parm recipe.
I made this as written…very good! I could have gotten away with one less egg and less panko about 1/3 went to waste. Thank you for another great recipe!
Fantastic recipe. My husband requests this one frequently! We have freezer meals for my husband’s lunches and this one is just as good (if not better since Italian is always better the next days) after being frozen and reheated!
Hi Jen, Would this recipe turn out equally well if I baked the breaded tenderloins instead of frying: If so, what temperature would you recommend and baking time?
I really think these are best fried. That said, you could probably bake them if you spray them with a generous amount of oil first. Place them on a baking rack over a sheet pan so they can brown on both sides. I’d bake at 350 degrees and start checking them at 20 minutes. They may take longer but 20 minutes is a good place to start. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hands down the best Chicken Parm I’ve made! The whole family loves this recipe.
Just fantastic! I was looking for a way to use my first pick of basil with just my on-hand pantry ingredients. I’ve never made chicken Parm that wasn’t baked with the sauce, which ends up being soggy and heavy. Appreciated being able to prep the chicken ahead of time and finish in the oven to keep it tender and crispy. I made Lydia Bastianich’s marinara sauce, which really doesn’t take much time and is worth it. So fresh tasting! I only had parmesan cheese, but didn’t miss the additional fontina. Served with, broccoli, parmesan couscous and extra sauce on the side. Big hit! Thank Jenn. ♥️